Are You a Candidate for Laser Vision Correction?

Are You a Candidate for Laser Vision Correction?

Here are six fundamental guidelines to help you determine if you might be a candidate for LASIK, LASEK or PRK surgery.

1) You must be an adult — In most cases, 21 or older.

2) Healthy eyes — Any eye conditions that could affect the response of your eyes to surgery or healing must be resolved prior to surgery. These would include conjunctivitis (also known as "pink eye"), chronic dry eyes, or any injury. You may not be a candidate for surgery if you suffer certain conditions such as cataracts, keratoconus (a progressive disease of the cornea), or uncontrolled glaucoma.

3) Stable vision for one year — Teenagers often experience changes in their eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions. Usually vision stabilizes when people are in their twenties. The progression of nearsightedness is a typical example, but other vision changes may also be involved. Once the eyes have settled into one prescription for a period of at least a year, it is possible to be considered for laser vision correction.

4) A prescription within certain limits — Some vision prescriptions are not adaptable to laser surgery correction, such as extensive myopia (nearsightedness) which would necessitate removal of too much of the corneal tissue.

5) Pregnancy — Your eyes are affected by certain hormonal changes. Your hormones and vision will normalize after pregnancy, making laser vision correction possible at that time.

6) Autoimmune or degenerative diseases — Refractive surgery outcomes are generally not good if you have trouble healing. These types of diseases may disqualify you as a candidate.

Please call for an evaluation to learn if laser vision correction is right for you.